Abortion/Reproductive Rights: Moderate,but pragmatically pro-choiceMarriage Equality: Strong supportDeath Penalty: Strongly oppose in all casesReligious Freedom: I don't have a problem with differentiating legally between essential and non-essential gooda and services (not that I support them in practice) toDrug Legalization: Strongly in favor of legalizing it for both medical and recreational usage. Likewise favor LSD legalized and all classes of soft and medium drugs being decriminalized or legalized. I support an Uruguay or Colorado-like system, but allowing drugs from other origins.Guns: Oppose the assault weapons ban, Support background checks. I don't care about concealed carryEuthanasia: I am for euthanasia and assisted suicide.Black Lives Matter/Police/Criminal Justice Reform: Strong supportTransgender Issues:I think anyone should go to whatever bathroom they choose, the government should work on insertion and suicide prevention peogramsSex Education: I strongly support sex education in schools, starting from the last years of elementary schoolEducation: Strong supporter of public education, state-funded public universityProstitutioj: legalized and regulatedJudges: supporter of a living Constitution,.

ies.

Environment

Climate Change: It is real, but the costs of reducing it are staggeringly high, and probably prohibitively so.EPA: Probably does too much, but environmental protection on a Federal level is probably warranted, especially if it affects interstate issues. Not a fan of pollution from fracking chemicals.Healthcare

Political

Gerrymandering: Independent CommissionCampaign Finance Reform: No limits, but enforced transparency on large donationdTerm Limits: I support term limits, but you can ran again after one electionNATO: OpposedIsrael: America should be opposed to or critical of Israel's most radical measures, and should work with Palestine to guarantee a state of law and transparencyImmigration: As close as you can get to open borders while still maintaining proper vetting, easy legal way to citizenship, maintaining b birthright citizenship, no quotas, no immigration or travel bans, no deportation for crimesIran: Support the deal on Iran, but it's still a bad deal

Environment

Climate Change: It is real, and the US should do everything it can to avoid it getting even worse, by participating in international deals (Tokyo, Paris), subsidizing sustainable energy sources, and slowly de-subsidizing oil, gas and coalEPA: it needs to be a very strong, and independent, agenxy

Healthcare

ObamaCare: It's very than the previous system but it's still awful. I support a public free-for-all healthcare system, with private competition

Medical Drugs: Patents should be significantly shorter, smaller companies should be able to lease these parents. And parents shouldn't matter in case of a real emergency/epidemic.I support importing drugs from other countries and some drugs should be subsidized by the healthcare system

Gerrymandering: Let it continue. It's a practice as old as the Republic and we will be fine if state legislatures and governors - elected representatives - dictate the lines.

Why though? Just because it is old doesn't make it right. The fact that it helps politicians stay in power is why it has gone on for so long - it is incredibly difficult to get someone to vote for something that may cost them their job, or their ability to push their agenda via party majorities.

If it is about elected officials - you can still mandate bipartisan commissions made of legislators that have rules prohibiting partisan/incumbent gerrymandering. Yes, the maps can still end up skewed one way or another, but it can be reduced and open to litigation if the commission ignores the rules. The absurdity of what is going on now, aided by technology and tons of data on voting patterns makes gerrymandering far too damaging to be ignored any longer.

Look at the North Carolina delegation - 10-3 Republican. In a state that only leans Republican and is highly polarized. There is no way that delegation represents NC as a whole. It represents one party at the expense of the other because that one party got to draw the lines, and because of that, those 10 seats are largely noncompetitive in all but a good-sized backlash against the GOP.

I don't want to clutter this thread so I'll put up a new thread answering this later in this forum.

Stole the format from TD, though with some alterations to the topics, and a ton of alterations to the answers

Ideology

General: Liberal in the mould of Hillary Clinton Social: Liberal, though not at full SJW levelEconomic: Slightly to the right of Bernie SandersForeign: Diplomacy enthusiastRegistration: Democrat

Social

Abortion/Reproductive Rights: Pro-choice. Abortion should be safe, legal, easily accessible in all parts of the country, and rare. I favour increased access to contraceptives and other policies that would reduce the abortion rate without denying access to anybody. Also I am very pro-PPMarriage Equality/LGBTQ Issues: Pro-SSM, Pro-LGBTQ rights, pro-laws that would forbid an employer from discriminating against LGBTQ employees, against "Bathroom Bills" and for increased access to resources to help trans people transition if they so choose.Death Penalty: Appose, on the grounds that there's always the possibility for DNA evidence to exonerate somebody already convicted, and you can't exonerate a dead person. Also, for heinous crimes, I think life in prison is both crueler and cheaper.Religious Freedom: This country is for people of all faiths and for people of no faith. Any effort to put laws on the books that favor one religion over another, in any way, is unacceptable. I'm also against the idea of using religion as a shield against beneficial laws. FWIW, I'm Jewish.Drug Legalization: Weed should be legal for medical and for recreational use in all 50 states, and people incarcerated over weed charges should be freed. For other drugs, in general I think treating drugs as a public health problem rather than a criminal one is best for society, but also people who sell drugs like cocaine and heroin should be punished.Guns: Oppose concealed carry, support gun-free zones. My ideal gun law would tax ammo and implement a very strict background checks program, but otherwise leave most firearms unbanned. So I'm against an assault weapons ban. Euthanasia: I am for euthanasia and assisted suicide as an individual right. (TD's words but I agree with him)Black Lives Matter/Police/Criminal Justice Reform: Criminal justice reform is essential. Systems of mass incarceration for low-level offenses, the school-to-prison pipeline, mandatory minimums, private prisons, all those things are HP and, in practice, very racist. Basically I agree with John Oliver every time he talks about the criminal justice system. I sympathise with BLM, and I believe in police accountability, including body cameras and an independent system to hold police accountable. I also oppose stand your ground laws.Transgender Issues: I strongly believe that trans people have the right to enter the bathrooms/locker rooms of the gender matching their identity and that transphobia be condemned. (also TD's words, also we are in agreement)Sex Education: I support comprehensive sex education, and it should start in middle school, but we need to make absolute sure that it's handled well by the schools. Abstinence-only is not acceptable. Education: Our school system is a hot mess, incredibly antiquated, and it'll be very difficult to reform, but it needs to be done. Administrators tend to be terrible, many systems aren't designed around modern-day students, (like high school starting at 7:30 AM) and the current system overall is really good at teaching kids to hate themselves and take tests, but not much else. Charter schools are a cool idea as a laboratory for alternate models for education, but are prone to mismanagement, and when a charter finds a really good structure for teaching kids then public schools should take it and run.Affirmative Action: In a perfect world we wouldn't need this, but at the moment we do because of systems of inequality. Maybe one day we'll phase this out when it becomes an antiquated solution, but for now it's kind of necessary, as much as I don't like it.Judges: I support the living document interpretation of the constitution. Our laws and documents should be interpreted in ways that are relevant to a society beyond the imagination of the founders.

Economic/Spending

Taxes and Spending: I'm a Keynesian at heart, meaning that I think spending should be up when the economy's in trouble and down when it isn't. Kind of a "tax and spend" liberal when the times call for it. All tax systems should be progressive, the rich need to pay their fair share, (I support a top tax rate of 45-50% for income over $500k) and current corporate loopholes that allow the richest to stash their money to get out of being taxed need to be closed. Also, the IRS should do people's taxes for them (with an opt-out system ofc) to make it more painless and pennies need to go.Social Security/Medicare: End the tax loophole that allows income over $110k to avoid being taxed when it comes to social security. Keep medicare.Infrastructure: This should be our next big stimulus. Repair roads/bridges/dams/highways, and then create a national high speed rail/bullet train service. This would bind the country together in a polarising time, potentially cause urbanisation to affect places outside the coasts, and create all kinds of economic growth, both in creating jobs building the thing and because it makes travel much, much easier.Defense Spending: Limit defense spending to what we need to maintain America's hegemony. Don't overspend, if we can help it. Cut down independent contracting in the defense industry. (TD's words, but I agree)Minimum Wage: Set the national min wage to roughly $9-10/hr and then tie the min wage to inflation or the cost of living. The idea is that a 40 hr work week should be enough to clear the poverty line, at the very least. However, the Fight for 15 is best off limited to cities and wealthier states, because the cost of living is higher there.Labor Unions: I love them with all my heart. Repeal RTW, repeal Taft-Hartley, create a national right to organise.Financial Regulation: Support reinstating Glass-Stegall, support Dodd-Frank. The financial sector cannot get away with murder.

Foreign Policy

Russia/NATO: VERY pro-Nato, anti-Russia. I generally hate Autocracies, and Putin is among the worst of them. Weakening NATO is terrifyingRadical Islam: Don't use that phrase. It conflates the terrorism we're fighting and Islam as a religion, which are not the same thing. Calling it Radical Islam plays into the hands of ISIS and makes Muslim Americans uneasy; we cannot do this. Having said that, terrorist groups and repressive societies that wear the face of Islam are reprehensible; while I opposed the Iraq War I reluctantly support Drone Strikes as long as they don't kill innocents, and I support fighting ISIS. The Muslim ban was a terrible, terrible thing because it conflates Islam and Terrorism.Israel: Israel is the Problematic Best Friend of the US. We should acknowledge the questionable actions it's taken, and push it to be better, (possible including a two-state solution or political reforms that make Israel work for both its Jews and Muslims) but at the end of the day, the world is better with Israel than without it, and we must protect it.Immigration: I favour opening up immigration laws to allow more immigrants, and giving all undocumented immigrants living in the United States (except those who have committed a felony) a path to citizenship. Give instant citizenship to DREAMers. Border walls don't work so we shouldn't do them.Iran: Support the deal on Iran on the grounds that it removes an enemy of the United States from the table and frees our hands in the Middle East. (again, TD's words and I agree with him)

Environment

Climate Change: It is real and we need to impose a revenue-neutral carbon tax (that would return all revenues to small businesses and taxpayers). (TD's words, I agree) But in addition to that we should invest heavily in solar and wind power, abide by the Paris agreement, and aim to eventually phase out fossil fuels. EPA: Maintain strong support for the EPA. Our planet is our future and we need to balance growth with environmental protection, but let's not hesitate to challenge corporate polluters and stand up to them. (TD's words, but we agree)

Healthcare

ObamaCare: Keep it on, actually, expand it, make the medicaid expansion mandatory, set up exchanges in all 50 states, and add the public option. Single-payer is fantastic but the ACA with a public option is basically single-payer but with added bells and whistles.

Political

Gerrymandering: End that crap NOW. Either create a national redistricting commission tasked with creating as many swing districts as possible or implement STV. Also the Senate should be proportional.Electoral College: I support the Interstate Compact.Statehood: Should be given to DC and Puerto Rico.Campaign Finance Reform: Return to where we were before Citizens United.Term Limits: For Presidents only.

IdeologySocial: ConservativeEconomic: Liberal (as in freedom), with a populist streakForeign Policy: Western chauvinist and ZionistRegistration: Republican, but Democrat at heart

Social PolicyAbortion: Oppose, with exceptions for rape, incest, life of the mother, and for Jews; criminalize sex-selective abortion and punish the mother and/or fatherSame-Sex Marriage: Oppose, but accept the law of the landReligious Liberty: Strongly support, but I do not consider requiring bakers to bake cakes for same-sex wedding receptions to be a violation of religious libertyDrugs: Strongly oppose drug legalization, increase criminal penalties for using soft drugsDeath Penalty: Support for military use and for terroristsGun Control: Background checks are fine, but the Second Amendment must be protectedAffirmative Action: Criminalize all diversity programsProstitution: Strongly opposeEuthanasia: Strongly oppose, make it illegal to seek or aid someone in seeking euthanasia overseas, and charge anyone involved with murderImmigration: Deport all illegal immigrants discovered by DHS through the course of their regular duties, end family immigration for all except spouse and dependent children, tighten quotas on immigration from non-Western countriesTransgender Issues: Let private businesses determine their own bathroom access rules, oppose recognizing self-identified gender on government documents that list sex, oppose bullying (sane)

Economic IssuesMinimum Wage: Ideally, it would be abolished, but indexing the current one to inflation would help put the issue to bed; the idea of a minimum "living wage" is abhorrentWelfare: Abolish SNAP, Section 8, EITC, SSI and similar state-level programs; streamline TANF or abolish and move to a universal income supplement, perhaps administered through the tax systemSocial Security: Transition to mandated individual savings with income supplements for financially distressed seniorsHealthcare: Repeal Obamacare and move to a market-based health system based on transparent pricing and cash payments for services; keep Medicaid for low-income AmericansTrade: Support free trade with friendly countries that we share cultural/moral values with such as most countries in the Americas and Europe, oppose anything even approaching free trade with hostile nations such as Vietnam or ChinaDeficit/Debt: Reduce the scope of government first, then we can talk about the bottom lineCampaign Finance: The status quo is fineUnions: Support, abolish right-to-work nationwide, and encourage average workers to become more involved with their unions to reduce the influence of hardline activists in organized laborEnergy: All of the above policy - let the market sort it outJob Creation: Government doesn't create jobs, and working is a lifestyle choiceEducation: Generally oppose vouchers (support for practicing Jews and Catholics to attend private religious schools) and homeschooling, restore prayer and nativity plays in public schools, strongly emphasize cultural education, make basic education only compulsory until age 12Higher Education: Greatly reduce government loan/grant programs to deflate the education bubble, end government funds going to proprietary schools, regulate the word "university" in every stateTaxes: Moderately progressive or flat individual income tax and abolish worldwide taxation; abolish all deductions except for charitable giving including the education and mortgage interest deductions; abolish carried interest; reduce the corporate tax and switch to territorial taxation; abolish FICA (since SS and Medicare will be abolished/reformed); index federal excise taxes to inflation

ForeignISIS: Work with Russia and make the sand glowRussia: Improve relations with Russia to defend Christendom from external threats, but make it clear we stand with NATO alliesChina: Remove diplomatic recognition and recognize Taiwan until the CPC is removed from power and every single member of its leadership is executedCuba: Treat them like any other country that the US imposes sanctions onIran: Prevent them from getting a nuclear weapon at all costsIsrael/Palestine: Stand unapologetically with Israel and support a one-state solution with Israel remaining a Jewish state with Jerusalem as its eternal and undivided capital; move the embassy from Tel Aviv to JerusalemSyria/Refugees: Accept Christian refugees only, help non-Christian refugees settle in culturally compatible countries

Abortion/Reproductive Rights: Favor the Hyde Amendment, but don't have any specific abortion stance. Don't really care about the fate of the fetus. Roe should be overturned, as it's a perversion of the Constitution. Marriage Equality/LGBTQ Issues: I think same-sex marriage is bad. Not supportive of LGBTQ "rights". I strongly support the NC transgender law, think the Indiana RFR law is too weak. Death Penalty: Strongly favor the death penalty upon DNA confirmation or absolute confirmation of a crime. Religious Freedom: Strong supporter of religious freedoms for all faiths and those with no faith belief at all. Favor religious liberty laws for bakers and other businesses. Also strongly support separation of religion and state.Drug Legalization: Weakly in favor of legalizing it for both medical and (more tepidly) recreational usage. Likewise favor LSD legalized.Guns: Oppose the assault weapons ban. Also support concealed carry. Support background checks. Like abortion, this is not a huge issue for me. Euthanasia: I am for euthanasia and assisted suicide as an individual right. Black Lives Matter/Police/Criminal Justice Reform: Both police unions and #BlackLivesMatter are generally horrible movements. Abusive police officers are treated too leniently in this country, and so are Black criminals (and some White ones).Transgender Issues: LOLNo.Sex Education: I oppose sex education in schools. Prostitution: I support legalization.Education: I favor vastly expanding the power of the Department of Education to set curriculum over the states in a spirit of national equity so long as it exists, but preferably eliminating it, as it's a wasteful big government program. I support cutting funding for lower education and raising it for higher education. Teacher salaries are fine where they are; arguments can be made for cutting them to save money or raising them to attract talent. However, I think the only legitimate argument to be made for free government-run schools is to encourage childbearing.Affirmative Action: Opposed to it, completely. Either class-based, or merit. Judges: Favor constructionist judges sitting on the Supreme Court and in the lower judiciary, that interpret the Constitution based on original intent, not a "living Constitution" text. PATRIOT Act: Strongly opposed. Abolish all unconstitutional mass surveillance.Indian policy: Abolish the reservations and tribal governments; nobody else has them. Treat Native Americans just like anyone else.

Economic/Spending

Taxes: I support completely eliminating the capital gains tax. Taxes should be cut overall, with a greater share of taxes being exacted from wages. Trade: Unapologetic free trader, in favor of NAFTA, but not CAFTA or TPP, and want a global market free from subsidies, quotas, and restrictions on trade. Oppose, of course, all subsidies, restrictions on trade, imports taxes, etc. However, this is hardly my biggest issue.Social Security/Medicare: Significantly overhaul and limit benefits to the truly indigent and needy who need healthcare coverage and disability and other benefits to survive in old age. Didn't like their creation and believe we have a vastly expansive welfare state that needs curtailing.Budgets: Hold spending down alongside tax reform to gradually enact real spending reforms that allow us to balance our budget. A BBA is unfeasible, but in general, our spending should be slowly curtailed. The House approach to cutting spending is weak and does not go anywhere near far enough.Defense Spending: Cut it by 90%.Minimum Wage: Oppose entirely.Labor Unions: Not a fan. End collective bargaining for public sector unions and support RTW states. Financial Regulation: I oppose Dodd-Frank. Otherwise, don't know enough to comment.Welfare: Support benefit cuts. Opposed to universal basic income due to revenue collection issues.

Foreign Policy

Russia/NATO: Completely, unapologetically, and vehemently pro-Russia. Moscow is the most moral major power in the world and we should accept all its acts in Ukraine, Georgia, and Syria, and completely eliminate post-2013 sanctions on Moscow. The eventual goal is a multipolar world. I also strongly favor abolishing NATO due to its terrorist nature.Radical Islam: A temporary shutdown on Muslims entering the United States is more than warranted. Trump's ban does not go far enough. There are simply too many Muslim terrorist attacks in the U.S. Support defeating ISIS by all serious partners. Turkey is not a serious partner, and nuking Turkey for its support of terrorist activity should definitely be on the table. At the very least, an ouster of Erdogan is warranted.Israel: America should emulate it, but not become its puppet and servant.Immigration: All illegal immigrants in the country should be deported, including DACA beneficiaries. No welfare benefits to illegal immigrants or education benefits. Expand legal quotas and require that all immigrants coming to the United States have a college education or some sort of essential skills. Legal immigrants should also be barred from welfare. A return to the national origins quota system is suboptimal, but superior to the current system. Iran: Support the deal on Iran on the grounds Iran has been so mistreated by the United States over the course of these many decades. Iran has no intention to acquire a nuclear weapon, and it really doesn't matter if it does.Foreign Aid: Eliminate all foreign aid to Ukraine and Mexico, as well as various other loser countries. Maybe also cut it to some winner countries, like Israel, who are ripping us off so badly.Cuba: Support normalized relations here.China: The two-China policy should be on the table. U.S. should build its own islands in the South China Sea and not recognize China's completely improper claims to it.

Environment

Climate Change: It is real, but the costs of reducing it are staggeringly high, and probably prohibitively so.EPA: Probably does too much, but environmental protection on a Federal level is probably warranted, especially if it affects interstate issues. Not a fan of pollution from fracking chemicals.Healthcare

ObamaCare: HP law. Eliminate it and replace it with something very terrific. Limit the Medicare expansion, get rid of the pre-existing condition and individual mandates, as well as most, if not all, of the other mandates. Enact sweeping changes to healthcare law that would lower costs while expanding the pool of people who pay out of pocket. Drug patents: Consider broad patents of 10 years (if that many; patents should be limited in length to the minimum proper to spur innovation) and then allow them to become considered generic, if necessary to spur innovation. Allow drug importation from Canada.

Political

Gerrymandering: Let it continue. It's a practice as old as the Republic and we will be fine if state legislatures and governors - elected representatives - dictate the lines. Proportional representation is a freedom idea.Campaign Finance Reform: No limits.Term Limits: Strongly support Ted Cruz's term limits amendment. Necessary to drain the swamp of people like John McCain and Sheldon Silver.Automatic Registration: NayEarly Voting: Much as we love it in North Carolina for the data it gives, I am opposed on principle.Primaries: Shorten schedule to one month, with Iowa going the first week, New Hampshire the second, South Carolina the third, and the rest of the country fourth. Convention happens the following month. Support states deciding their own delegate allocation rules, but like the simplicity of Winner-Take-All.Puerto Rican and DC Statehood: I'd sooner support annexing British Columbia and Baja California. So, LOLNo.

Minimum Wage: Left at $7.50/hr, entry level jobsWelfare: Should be no need for itSocial Security: Transition to mandated individual savings with income supplements for financially distressed seniorsHealthcare: Repeal Obamacare and move to a market-based health system based on transparent pricing and cash payments for services; keep Medicaid for low-income AmericansTrade: Support fair trade with friendly countries Deficit/Debt: Reduce the scope of government first, then we can talk about the bottom lineCampaign Finance: The status quo is fineUnions: Support, abolish right-to-work nationwide, and encourage average workers to become more involved with their unions to reduce the influence of hardline activists in organized laborEnergy: All of the above policy - let the market sort it outJob Creation: Government doesn't create jobs, and working is a lifestyle choiceEducation: Support vouchers and school choice.Higher Education: Greatly reduce government loan/grant programs to deflate the education bubble, end government funds going to proprietary schools, regulate the word "university" in every stateTaxes: Support increased sales tax while abolishing the inheritance "death" tax, and decreased income taxes.

Foreign

ISIS: Work with Russia to defeat ISISRussia: Improve relations with Russia to defend Christendom from external threats, but make it clear we stand with NATO alliesChina: Remove diplomatic recognition and recognize TaiwanCuba: Sever diplomatic relationsIran: Prevent them from getting a nuclear weapon Israel/Palestine: Stand with Israel and support a one-state solution with Israel remaining a Jewish state with Jerusalem as its eternal and undivided capital; move the embassy from Tel Aviv to JerusalemSyria/Refugees: Don't accept any refugees, we can't afford terrorists to enter our country

Environment

Climate Change: It is real and we need to impose a revenue-neutral carbon tax (that would return all revenues to small businesses and taxpayers). (TD's words, I agree) But in addition to that we should invest heavily in solar and wind power, abide by the Paris agreement, and aim to eventually phase out fossil fuels. EPA: Maintain strong support for the EPA. Our planet is our future and we need to balance growth with environmental protection, but let's not hesitate to challenge corporate polluters and stand up to them.

Healthcare

ObamaCare: Repeal it and use a single payer system, keep provision that states children can be on parents health care plan until 25.

Political

Gerrymandering: There should be a neutral commission to regulate thisElectoral College: I support the Interstate Compact.Statehood: Should not be given to DC, but another referendum should be held for Puerto Rico.Campaign Finance Reform: Return to where we were before Citizens United.Term Limits: Support

The problem with a "summary of political beliefs" is that there is a difference between what I think is politically realistic, and what I actually think would be the ideal way of running things.

For instance, I would quite hapilly abolish the concept of private property, but in practice, that isn't something that is realistic - so I go for nationalisation of key industries, universal basic income, worker councils and things like that.

- Support cutting income tax massively and would bring the overall code down to 0,10,20,30 percent.- Support cutting corporate tax rate down to 25%- Support Raising capital gains taxes to 27.5%- Oppose carbon taxes at federal level, would support at state level if income taxes are cut by same amount - Oppose of shore tax havens and would require them to be disclosed - Oppose sales tax- Support cutting property tax rate by 50%

Regulations:

-Support creating an independent advisory board to do a cost/benefit analysis on every new regulation proposed and require all regulations proposed to be approved by the board or the house only after that cost benefit analysis is released publicly .

Abortion: From a policy perspective abortion needs to remain legal. Sorry guys, hangers are to hang clothes up with not to perform medical procedures.

Same-Sex Marriage: Strongly support. At first I was for civil unions until people are okay with gay marriage Hehe.

Drugs: Marijuana should be legalized for sure and perhaps most drugs. I am not a huge fan of government intervention in these issues as it is pointless and a strain on law enforcement. However I do support punishments on use of drugs if they contributed to an accident or crime. That would place Alcohol on par with weed.

Death Penalty: Opposed except in the most egregious circumstances. Seems barbaric.

Gun Control: It is an issue that is unwinnable. It is not like everyone will just turn their guns in just because they are made illegal. Plus the Second Amendment protects our gun rights.

Affirmative Action: Unfortunately it is a necessary evil.

Immigration: A nation does have a right to restrict who can and can not come into their country. However immigration is a plus for our nation, not a minus. While we advertise ourselves as the nation of opportunity I am not fight against illegal immigration. If your car breaks down in the middle of the night a Mexican is likely to be the one who comes to fix your car. Plus Muslim immigrants and refugees are trying to escape terrorism not bring it with them.

Minimum Wage: I am opposed to a federal minimum wage. Circumstances and cost of living vary wildly throughout the United States, though I could be talked into a 10.00 per hour minimum wage nationally. A 15/20 dollar per hour minimum wage could create economic chaos in the rural Midwest.

Welfare: Very few people actually oppose all welfare. Even if the right can make compelling arguments against welfare programs, we can not be a developed nation without them. There are people on hard luck, have mental illnesses, or unskilled due to circumstances beyond their control.

Healthcare: No ObamaCare. We must have medicare for all. It is the only practical solution and replacement to ObamaCare.

Trade: Yea yea yea, I concede it is true that trade agreements like NAFTA have accelerated job losses in the Rust Belt. That contributed to Donald Trump's victory. But here is the kicker, dismantling all free trade agreements will not bring those unskilled high paying jobs back. We must embrace the new economy. I am not a Luddite so I strongly believe new positions will be created and some positions that can be automated are not practical to automate. Free trade has helped keep inflation and our cost of living low.

Deficit/Debt: Deficit spending is good in a recession of course. We must close most tax loop holes to contribute to keeping our national debt from getting out of control. National debt is not necessarily bad but it is bad when it exceeds GPD and you are borrowing from social security.

Unions: We must gut all public sector unions. I am okay with unions in the private sector.

Energy: Sorry coal boys, green energy is the future. I am not one to want to end all fossil fuel usage over night but for the sake of our climate we must transition to green energy. I do not know if conservatives get high off coal or gasoline but we need to embrace the future not the past.

Taxes: I mirror Mitt Romney. Keep the rates lower but close most of the deductions and loop holes.

Foreign Policy tl;dr DOVE. Bush is the reason why I usually vote Democratic.

Economic Issues: Fiscal Liberal/Economic Neoliberal/Political PragmatistTaxes:- In favor of a more progressive tax policy with higher tax brackets, but not across the board increases. - In favor of increasing the estate tax from 40% to 45%.- In favor of implementing a carbon tax and other sin/luxury taxes.

Healthcare:- Support the Affordable Care Act- In favor of a public insurance option.- Supporting raising the Medicare age to 67 and implementing necessary reforms to save the program.- Support minor to modest cuts in Medicare, if needed, but opposed to Ryan-esque measures.

Social Security:- Supporting raising the retirement age to either 67 or 69. - Support a partial privatization at a very modest rate.

Minimum Wage:- Oppose granting a $15 minimum wage.- Support a federal minimum wage indexed to inflation yearly to end this matter for good hopefully. States would still have the ability to increase their minimum wage if they feel necessary.

Welfare and Unemployment Benefits:- Support the current state of welfare.- Interested in the idea of a universal basic income, but needs more time to become politically salient.

Education:- Strongly against voucher programs.- Strongly in favor of universal pre-K education. Not only is early education vital for the development of kids of all socioeconomic backgrounds, but parents who work have one less thing to worry about, which can be a godsend for many.- Strongly support after-school programs.- Somewhat opposed to teacher's unions. There's a little too much room for foul play.- Support raising teacher's salaries via federal or state funding. Teachers play a pivotal role in making sure our young people are ready adults.- Support Common Core standards, but some measures need to be tweaked.- Skeptical of charter schools and mostly against, but see the value of some of them especially in inner cities where public schools are neglected.- Opposed to the idea of free college, but support initatives seeking to reduce the student debt burden (basically Hillary Clinton's plan).- In favor of making community college tuition-free.

Free Trade:- Strong supporter of free trade policies and oppose protectionism. "Buy American, Hire American" would hurt the middle-class the most, as they spend a larger proportion of their income on consumer goods.- Strong supporter of NAFTA and TPP.- Support job retraining programs for former manufacturing workers and others affected by globalization, and these programs should be funded both through federal funding and by private companies who would be given incentives to do so. However, this is ultimately a futile endeavor in the long-run. This is why a UBI may eventually become necessary.- Want to make sure that the United States stays the dominant trade superpower in the world. By leaving the TPP, we are allowing China to gain foothold in global trade and potentially surpass us.

Immigration:- Amnesty should be given to undocumented immigrants already living in the United States.- Support a less draconian e-Verify system.- Against a stupid and wasteful border wall.- Support deporting illegal immigrants who commit violent crimes.- Support the DREAM Act.- Support slight tweaks to the VISA system.- Opposed to an unconstitutional Muslim ban.- Understand that we already have extreme vetting for immigrants and refugees.

Deficits and Budgets:- Balancing the budget should be a goal, but not a requirement.- Support cuts to national defense spending.- Support cuts to Social Security, and Medicare, as reducing the debt is vital if not for the growing interest we pay on it.

Environmental and Energy Issues:- Support the idea of a carbon tax, although would be fine with cap-and-trade as well. I'm willing to hear the arguments for both, but ultimately I favor a carbon tax more as generating government revenue from this would be a boon.- Support Obama and his EPA's tyrannical war on coal. The advent of natural gas is the reason coal is dying, not the EPA.- In favor of phasing out fossil fuel as the main energy source.- However, I seek American energy independence in the short-term, which is why I'm not completely against the Keystone XL pipeline, mostly for geopolitical reasons in the Middle East.- In the long-term though, clean energy should take precedence, and am in favor of public funding of solar and wind energy. - Climate change is obviously real, and the issue of climate refugees, particularly in Bangladesh, Florida, Netherlands, etc., will become a major crisis soon enough. Fighting climate change will require global cooperation, and that starts with maintaining the Paris Agreement.

Other:- Against auditing the Federal Reserve. Rand Paul and Ted Cruz have no business being involved in that.- Support reinstating Glass-Steagal. I'm generally in favor of regulating Wall Street but not to a detrimental level.- Economic populism is a threat, especially when delivered by charlatans like Donald Trump and to a lesser extent, Bernie Sanders.

Abortion:- Pro-choice. I probably would be fine with a third-trimester ban, but otherwise, women have the right to do what they want. I don't want mothers raising children when they're miserable doing it. - Also, whether a fetus is alive or not is all semantics. Women will get abortions anyway, so let's work to make sure they're safe.- Support maintaining Planned Parenthood. - Support repealing the Hyde Amendment.- Opposed to how Republicans use abortion as a wedge issue. I'm also fine with personally-pro-life politicians but not if they actively make it harder for women to get abortions.

LGBT Equality:- Tolerant of same-sex marriage. - Support the ENDA.- Highly skeptical of transgenderism and believe there is no such thing as gender fluidity, but ultimately, "bathroom" laws are a giant smokescreen by Republicans to distract from things that actually matter, and so people should use whatever bathroom they are comfortable with. However, I have many concerns about the logistical problems that arise by allowing people to identify with either gender.

Drugs:- The War on Drugs has been a failure, unless of course, the goal is to incarcerate more minorities.- Marijuana should be rescheduled and made no longer a federal crime whether it be the use of or distribution of the plant.- Support the legalization of medicinal marijuana and support the further research of the drug.

Voter ID Laws:- Against voter ID laws simply because it's a waste of time and money. Voter fraud is not a real problem.

Gerrymandering:- Support switching to a parliamentary system with proportional representation. Geographic representation was an issue in 1789, but in our highly interconnected world, politics is not that local anymore.- More realistically, I support switching to nonpartisan, software-generated districts based on average distance to the center of their district. Basically this guy's proposal.

Congressional Term Limits:- I'd be fine with a 4-term limit on Senators and a 12-term limit on Congressmen just to get fresh blood.

2nd Amendment:- In favor of universal background checks.- Support bans on suspects listed on a terror watch list. - Support an assault weapons ban.- Opposed to how Republicans use guns as a wedge issue. The NRA has way too much influence. However, Democrats should be a little more ambivalent on this because there are many people who agree with their policies except for the rhetoric on guns.

Vaccines:- Anti-vaxxers are a threat to society.

Death Penalty:- Support the death penalty in only the most severe cases.

Law and Order Issues/National Security:- Strongly opposed to stop-and-frisk.- NSA does some good things and doesn't get any credit for it, but they should attempt to be a little more transparent although not to a fault.- Police need new hiring protocols to weed out bad apples.- Support body cameras.- Support ending for-profit policing.- Strongly against private prisons.- Support our nation's law enforcement, but not when they are actively breaking down communities. However, people need to learn to respect the rule of law, and when injustices are committed, they should work within the system to prevent further incidents.

Affirmative Action:- Could use modifications, but still a good policy on balance.

Civil Rights Issues:- Black lives matter. Whether the movement is an annoyance or not, the message should be universally supported.

Freedom of Speech and Political Correctness:- Political correctness is a made-up issue.- Don't care if anyone burns the flag because it doesn't matter.

Abortion/Reproductive Rights: For Abortion in cases of Rape, Incest, or other forms of forced sex and should be much easier to get in the earlier stages and oppose the states rights issue to the Abortion Issue. However Late termination of Pregnancy around the third trimester i believe should have some sort of ban or made harder to do to the more developed and aware Fetus. Im in favor of Planned Parenthood and support repealing the Hyde Amendment. Moderate Death Penalty: Against the Death Penalty uniformly Very LiberalReligious Freedom: Support everyone's right to believe what they want to believe. They should not be forced to do something that goes against there believes and in the case of the bakers issue, The baker should not be forced to bake a cake for gay couples even if the religous clause is bullsh**t. Center RightDrug Legalization: Support Marijuana legalization in all 50 states and all non lethal drugs should also be legalized. These all should be Legalized, Taxed, and Regulated. It can be up to the states on how they want to do these 3 Ls and on what drugs can be legalized which can be done through popular referendums (End the Drug War!) Standard LiberalGuns: Support the second amendment strongly and People have the right to bear arms but can support can minimal gun background checks and learning. ModerateEuthanasia: Support the Right to Suicide. Very LiberalTransgender Issues: I personal believe there are and should only be two genders minus of course intersex which is genetic. But i will respect someone else's decision if they did. As for the Bathroom issue, The Government should not have the power to force this and should be up to the local and state levels and the actual businesses itself. This whole issue is stupid and a third bathroom with both urinals and stalls for them would solve this. Centre Right to ModerateSex Education: Support Middle School and High School Sex Education Standard PositionEducation: Support School Choice and abolish common core Center RightAffirmative Action: Against it. Just a way to discriminate. Right WingJudges: Judges should follow the Constitution as it was. Center Right to Moderate

Economic/Spending

Taxes: I favor a form of Progressive Taxation. Create a 45% tax bracket for those making over 10 Million, 40% tax on those making 2-10 Million, 30-35% tax bracket for those making 500,000 to 2 Million, a 30% tax for those making 250,000 to 500,000, 25% for those making 100,000 to 250,000, 15% for those making 50,000 to 100,000 and a 5% tax for those under that. Against offshore safe havens and we should limit loopholes through this. Liberal/ProgressiveTrade: Support Protectionism when it comes to trade. Against TPP and favors a Resigning of NAFTA and supports Fair Trade. Standard LiberalSocial Security/Medicare: Supports both and slight lowering of the retirement age from 67 to 65 Standard LeftBudgets: Support some form of a Balanced budgets amendment. ModerateDefense Spending: Lower it massively. Military spending makes up 54% of the discretionary budget which is massively too high for a country not a threat with war. Should be cut by 45-65% and used for domestic programs at home. Very LiberalMinimum Wage: Should be raised nationally to 11.50-12.50$ per hour however it should be tied to inflation so as the price of living increases so does the wage. The 11.50$ per hour can be made both higher or lower depending on a states cost of living. Slight LeftLabor Unions: Support Labor Unions in both Private and Public Sectors. Can negotiate with Company owners for worker issues. LiberalFinancial Regulation: Support Rein-station of Dodd-Frank and there should be much more regulation of Wall Street and big business and should be held to account. In case of future recessions there should be no bailing out of them. Also i support lower regulations of Smaller business. Progressive

Foreign Policy

Russia/NATO: I support Russia in its standoff with Nato as Nato has increasingly expanded to its borders. I support the Annexation of Crimea, there actions in Georgia, and a Russian backed recognized state in Donbass. There should be less tensions with Russia and we should loosen up sanctions on them. I also support NATO existence as a Defensive organization however should stop its aggressive path towards Russia. Pro-RussianRadical Islam: Oppose Radical Islam on all counts. We should work with allies in the Middle East to oppose it and defeat it like the kurds. We should also work with Assad's Syria and Russia to defeat ISIS. Oppose Trumps Travel Ban as it does more Harm then good and most Terrorists that have attacked in America were not from those 7 country but from the Gulf and Pakistan. We should also distance ourselves from Saudi Arabia and Pakistan and the Other Gulf states and recognize them for who they are at exporting Radical/Wahhabi Islam around the World. Standard LiberalIsrael: I Support Israels Right to Exist and sympathizes with them more then the Palestinians. However we much support a Two State Solution and stop always being on Israels Side. We must force them to make Concessions and in the end hopefully form a Israel and a Palestine. If Israel doesn't agree we can tell Israel that the US will give up there UN vote in UN Resolutions. Standard LiberalImmigration: Support a very tough Border. Dont agree with a wall as Immigrants will just find a way around it. For the Millions of Illegals already here, i think it is too time consuming to try to deport all and instead find a way to Citizenship. I also agree that the US should fight the Root problem which is crime in Mexico and Central America to try to stop the massive Illegal Immigration. The Illegals should also be barred from Welfare and Government functions. I support around 5,000 Refugees to be able to live in the US however they should be brutally checked and made sure they dont have terrorist motives and are actual refugees. I support out of these 5,000 that they be representative of the Religion of there Country. For instincts, for every 100 Syrian Muslim Refugees there is 10 Syrian Christian Refugees to represent the 90-10 Muslim Christian Percentage in Syria. Right WingIran: Supports the Iran Deal and we should end some sanctions on Iran. We should continue to watch there Nuclear Program and should act more friendly to them. ModerateEnvironment

Climate Change: Its Real and no matter if its Man Made or Not, we should take drastic measures to fix it LiberalEPA: Strongly Support and we should continue to Protect the environment Very Liberal

Healthcare

ObamaCare: Support it however i think it goes to little and we should push for a much more reasonable Single Payer with some competition or Choice System. However i have a feeling that America will end up having a expanded Obamacare with more broad coverage Standard ProgressiveDrug patents: Should take around 10 years but beside that, dont have much to say Moderate

Political

Gerrymandering: We should end this sh**t Very LiberalElectoral College: I support it however also support a clause in which when no one reaches 270, the one with the most Electoral Votes wins instead of it going to the House and Senate. Moderate Campaign Finance Reform: There should no Large Donations from Large Donors. Support a Bernie Style way of finacing Campaigns. Very LiberalFreedom of Speech: Support it always. Neither Left or Right. True American Position.Term Limits: There should be Term Limits for the House and Senate. Liberal

Abortion: Use money in the welfare/food stamp budget to fully subsidize abortions and contraception for those who cannot afford it.Use money in the Medicaid budget to fully subsidize abortions and contraception for those who cannot afford it.Death Penalty: Abolished for the judicial system. Convicted murderers forfeit their personhood to their victim's estate, whereupon the next-of-kin are free to do with it as they see fit.Abolished uniformly. Convcited murderers sent to rehabilitation for six month before returning to society as changed men.Religious Liberty:Nonsensical term. People ought to be free to associate with whom or what they want regardless of pseudoreligious justification.Life imprisonment for those who refuse to actively participate in any celebration of alternate lifestyle (with special waivers from this statute for observant Muslims)Drug Legalization:Legalize them all, with appropriate surgeon general's warning that nobody will read anyway.Use money in the Medicaid budget to fully subsidize marijuana for those who cannot afford it.Affirmative Action:Gross violation of equality under the law. Banned from institutions receiving federal funding for educational purposes.All minorities (except Asians and Jews) shall be guaranteed at least twice the representation in an institution as their representation in the applicant pool.Immigration: See here.Automatic citizenship for all undocumented immigrants currently present and for all claiming refugee status. Those currently in the immigration queue move to fourth in the line behind the above groups and their extended families and friends.Guns:Existing background checks and waiting period for purchase, concealed carry and open carry.Banned except for police use. Misdemeanor offense for toy guns or extending the middle and index finger in a suspicious manner.

Social PolicyAbortion: Pro-choice, especially for the first two trimesters. Oppose mandatory counseling/waiting periods. Oppose the Hyde Amendment. Neutral on late-term abortions; abortions that are performed past the second trimester are so rare that they are hardly worth legislating against... Women generally would not abort at this stage in this pregnancy unless there is a severe fetal abnormality or if the woman's life is in danger.

Same-Sex Marriage: Strongly support. I'm generally against laws that force religious businesses to cater or service weddings, but I can see justification if the clientele are without local alternatives.

Conversion Therapy: Ban it entirely. Conversion therapy is complete pseudoscience and should be treated the same way as any other illegitimate and dangerous 'health remedy.'

Transgender Issues: This is an issue that's way overhyped by the media but the conservative backlash against RESTROOMS is ridiculous. Support nondiscrimination laws and ordinances and oppose so-called "religious freedom" laws. I also believe that sex and gender are separate concepts.

Drugs: Legalization of marijuana and LSD; decriminalize the possession, but not sale, of other drugs. Decriminalize the selling of small amounts of cocaine. Abolish the DEA.

Ideally, I would support mandatory firearm safety courses, but I'm resigned to the fact that guns are part of American culture and that such a requirement would be met with fierce resistance. I also believe that states and localities should set their own gun laws; what works for Chicago probably wouldn't work for places like Alaska and Montana. Illegal gun transfers and sales should be prosecuted and existing laws should be strictly enforced.

Affirmative Action: I oppose mandatory quotas.

Prostitution: I am very opposed to prostitution on moral and personal grounds, but I don't think government should ban the practice, especially since porn is effectively prostitution with a camera. Regulate prostitution and mandate that contraceptives be used. I don't believe in shaming sex work, but I don't support glamorizing it, either.

Euthanasia: Strongly support, provided that the patient is of sound mind. I believe that a person has the fundamental right to end his or her own life for any reason.

Immigration: Create a pathway to citizenship for all non-violent undocumented immigrants. Deport or imprison violent undocumented immigrants. Require immigrants to assimilate into the culture regardless of religion or country of origin. Offer free English courses and require fluency as a prerequisite to full citizenship, but oppose making English the "official language" of the United States. Prosecute businesses that hire and exploit illegal immigrants out of good wages.

Police Issues/Black Lives Matter: I strongly support the goals of BLM and police reform. Require body cameras and accountability. Allow for community policing and downgrade police firearms. The justice system should be reformed so that officers are held accountable - no more "blue shield."

Free Speech/Political Correctness: Political correctness is cancer. I am a free speech absolutist and I'm completely against government censoring controversial opinions. Stigmatizing discussion of certain topics is anti-liberal and impedes social progress and personal growth. At the same time, college campuses and student bodies have the right to not entertain public speakers and to hold peaceful protests; nobody is entitled to a platform.

School Prayer: Support voluntary, non-led prayer. I also believe students should be allowed to form private religious and Bible Study groups if they desire.

Muslim Ban: Islamaphobia is wrong and so are religious litmus tests period. Anyone who's willing to assimilate into the culture and be a productive member of society should not be disqualified from entering the United States.

Social Security: Lift the taxable income cap. Social Security is solvent until 2033 and there is no “crisis.” Ideally, the retirement age would be lowered so as to expand job opportunities for young people.

Healthcare: I would support a single-payer/Medicare-for-all program although I am unsure if this would be the best model for the United States. I think that single-payer should be tested first in states like New York or California before adopting a national model. Currently I’m most in favor of a nationwide “public option” or Medicare buy-in program, as well as co-ops or Germany-style “sickness funds,” to compete with private insurance companies.

Allow drug imports from Canada and countries which tightly regulate their drug markets for safety. Subsidize families that spend more than a certain portion of monthly income on prescription drugs, either through reimbursement or tax credits.

Globalization/Trade: I don’t much like globalization itself but I don’t believe that protectionism is the solution to the drawbacks. International institutions and corporations have used globalization purely for self-enrichment at the expense of the environment, human rights, labor protections, indigenous cultures, and civil liberties. I support alter-globalization and fair trade as opposed to neoliberalism and corporate-friendly trade deals.

Deficit/Debt: Maximize efficiency, streamline all governmental agencies, consolidate agencies and eliminate redundancies, abolish the NSA, slash the military and defense budget, focus on implementing cost saving technologies, and make it publicly available and readily accessible to see where all funds are going, the budgets of every agency and department, and who voted for what funding.

Campaign Finance Reform: Pass a Constitutional amendment that would repeal Citizens United and require transparency.

Energy: Invest heavily in green energy with the intent of revolutionizing our energy sector. Incentivize businesses and individuals to go green with tax breaks, implement cap and trade, partially nationalize all companies exploiting our natural resources, and begin reducing fracking and offshore drilling. Retrain coalminers and help them transition to safer jobs in the energy industry.

Job Creation: Invest in a massive infrastructure redevelopment program and fund public projects that use American-made steel and resources. Incentivize businesses to create jobs in underprivileged areas, both rural and urban. Expand broadband to rural areas.

Education: I favor the Finnish model on education. Replace “drill, kill, bubble-fill” testing and promote innovative learning. Allow teachers more autonomy over class material and give students say in the curriculum.

I believe that higher education should have a much smaller role whereas high school should have a more lasting impact on a student’s learning. (Ideally, college would only be geared toward STEM students and aspiring lawyers, but we’ve reached the point where that’s impossible.) I do not favor incentivizing STEM degrees at the expense of the humanities as I believe that disciplines such as art and philosophy are undervalued in society.

However, I support tuition-free public universities and refinancing student loan debt as well as universal pre-k.

I strongly oppose bans on homeschooling.

Taxes: Taxes in the United States are among the most progressive in the world yet poverty and inequality remain high because money is not redistributed progressively. I would support higher taxes across the board only under the condition that welfare is more generous. Otherwise, I support lowering taxes for low-income people and support drastically reducing if not eliminating state sales taxes. I also favor slashing the Corporate Tax.

ForeignNATO: As a nationalist and someone who generally opposes military alliances, I do not support NATO as an institution and, before Trump’s election, would have strongly supported US withdrawal from the pact. However, so long as Trump and Putin are a problem, I would oppose any move that resembles a pro-Russia gesture.

ISIS: I support humanitarian aid to the region in cooperation with the UN, but I wish to see the United States largely reduce its role on the world stage and especially the Middle East. If the United States can bomb a bunch of ISIS thugs without collateral damage, great. Get rid of ISIS and leave.

Iran: Support the Iran Deal. The international community should condemn Iran’s human rights abuses and support efforts to promote tolerance and equality. No war or regime change.

Israel/Palestine: The United States should act as a peaceful mediator without favoring either party in the conflict. A two-state solution is the best option, but unfeasible under current circumstances.

Syria/Refugees: Alleviate the pressure on Europe and Syria’s neighbors by taking in at minimum 200,000 Syrian refugees, with special preference for women, children, LGBT people, and persecuted religious minorities. All refugees must be assimilated.

Electoral ReformElectoral College Reform: Strongly support. Abolish the electoral college and elect the President via popular vote, with instant-runoff/ranked voting.

Gerrymandering: Switch to a proportional voting system for each state.

Public Financing: Support.

Term limits: Oppose.

Voter ID: Oppose.

Early Voting: Support expanding.

Absentee Voting: Support expanding.

Primaries: Make all primaries open and abolish caucuses and superdelegates. I'm partial to the more radical change to a 'National Primary Day' with IRV, but it's not something I've spent much time thinking about.

I'm neutral on the question of continuing to let Iowa and New Hampshire hold the first contests, but if we had to switch I'd prefer a state which best adequately represents all racial groups and has a good mix of rural and urban voters. (Missouri and North Carolina might be good fits for that.)

Corruption/Lobbying/Government Reform/etc.- Prohibit ex-politicians from working for lobbying firms- Prohibit lobbyists from bundling political contributions for politicians- Mandate full disclosure of campaign contributions

Basically, all my political views can be summed up in a simple phrase: taxation is theft. Apart from that, I'm pro-state sovereignty and pro-original intent of the Constitution. Support decentralization, oppose

From there, essentially all my policy positions can be fairly easily deduced, but to be more specific, I'll use some of the categories others have used (I don't want to make it all up).

Immigration: In a truly private property society, it would not be an issue; until then, respectable controls on immigration but make it easier to get here. No welfare, no citizenship, definitely no voting. Should be a state issue, not federal, as the power to regulate immigration is not in the Constitution.

Police Issues/Black Lives Matter: Government police are acting immorally and unethically by working for such an institution; however, they are often wrongly accused and are important on some level (private or public) in society. Black Lives Matter is essentially evil.

Free Speech/Political Correctness: Free speech should always be upheld. PC is silly.School Prayer: Not in government schools (though I'd eliminate them), but a good idea in principle.

Muslim Ban: No, at least not yet, and certainly not nationwide.

PATRIOT ACT/NSA Spying: Unconstitutional.

TSA: Unconstitutional on federal level.

Economic IssuesMonetary Policy: End the Fed, end government monopolies on currency.Minimum Wage: Unconstitutional (on federal level) and anti-liberty. Economically negative.

Campaign Finance Reform: Eliminate all restrictions, as they are unconstitutional and violations of free speech.Unions: Mostly evil organizations, esp. public sector. Eliminate public sector unions, but allow workers to do whatever they want as far as collectives. Eliminate laws in favor of unions and right to work laws.

China: Free trade, try to get help with North Korea.North Korea: who the hell knows? Messed up situation.Cuba: Free trade.Iran: Free trade.Israel/Palestine: Support Israel, but no foreign aid. They'll be okay. If you want to help them fight, go fight, or donate (which I would).

Syria/Refugees: Stop accepting the vast majority. Stop interference in their war.Electoral ReformElectoral College Reform: Absolutely opposed. The Electoral College is one of the only parts of the Constitution that still preserves the concept of federalism and state sovereignty.Gerrymandering: State issue.Public Financing: Theft.Term limits: No opinion.Voter ID: Support.Early Voting: Oppose.Absentee Voting: Mostly opposed.Primaries: Eliminate government support for primaries, and parties should make them closed (if they want).Voting: Too many people vote that are uninformed. Possibly introduce the Informed Voter Act (which I created as a concept).

Abortion/Reproductive Rights: Leaning pro-choice, but it should be discouraged.Marriage Equality/LGBTQ Issues: Strongly support gay marriage.Death Penalty: Not a fan.Religious Freedom: Businesses should be able to deny service to everyone for any reason.Drug Legalization: End the war on drugs.Guns: Increased background checks, but no European-style gun control.Euthanasia: Support euthanasia and assisted suicide under certain conditions. Black Lives Matter/Police/Criminal Justice Reform: Strongly support criminal justice reform.Transgender Issues: Trans people have the right to enter the bathroom of the gender matching their identity.Education: Crush the teachers' unions and increase education spending.Affirmative Action: Opposed to it.Judges: Generally support appointing conservative judges

Economic/Spending

Taxes: Enact a VAT while cutting taxes on income and capital. Provide tax rebates if necessary. Also repeal the corporate income tax. Tax reform should be as revenue neutral as possible.Social Security: Raise the retirement age and cut benefits for everyone except the poorest. Budgets: A BBA is unrealistic so I oppose it. But reducing long-term deficits should be a priority.Defense Spending: Don't cut it unless other NATO countries finally start boosting their defense budgets.Minimum Wage: Oppose it. Labor Unions: Limit their power. Pass a national Right to Work law.Financial Regulation: Oppose reinstating Glass-Steagall. There needs to be some financial regulation but there are a lot of unnecessary rules in Dodd-Frank.Trade: Strongly support free trade deals like NAFTA, TPP and TTIP. Also strongly support globalization.

Foreign Policy

Russia/NATO: Pro-NATO. Strongly oppose stronger ties with Russia when Putin still is around.Radical Islam: Oppose the Muslim ban, but support strong efforts to defeat terrorist organizations. Israel: Pro-Israel. Israel is a liberal democracy and one of America's strongest and most stable allies in a volatile region. They do go too far sometimes, but they still are much better than the alternatives.Immigration: I support comprehensive immigration reform (like the 2013 bill).Iran: It isn't a really good deal, but tearing it apart would make the situation even worse.

Environment

Climate Change: It is real. The US should enact a carbon tax and use the revenue to cut other taxes.

Healthcare

Universal healthcare: Support universal healthcare (but oppose single-payer). I wouldn't mind raising a VAT to provide for healthcare vouchers for every single American. I prefer something like the Swiss healthcare system.Medicare: Cut medicare spending. Undecided on Ryan's medicare plan.

I am an old school Catholic labor Democrat. I am pretty liberal on economics but conservative on most social issues. I have voted for both parties in the past. I voted for Donald Trump in 2016 but for the Democrats on the rest of the ballot.